Opinion Journal: Ohio Down on ObamaCare

"Best of the Web" columnist James Taranto on the Ohio health-care referendum.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... although I what Americans all across the country are going to render their verdict on Brock Obama presidency but yesterday they rendered a verdict on Obamacare the president's signature health care legislation ... and here to tells about that verdict is James trot those are best with today columnist James thanks for joining us ... a giant Xstrata ... so this is a referendum in the state of Ohio a classic swing states on Obamacare ... what was the verdict ... yes Ohio ... it's not just a classic swing states the right ... there is a bellwether of any state in the country of last night that he was represent Greece in nineteen sixty ... I did tell the folks I met a constitutional amendment is ... that would either ... side ... and the individual mandate in Ohio ... and it passed by almost two to one sixty six thirty four percent ... the first this is only symbolic ... federal law free and stable ... but they were trying to send a message ... I'm not just to Washington ... were ... just the ... politicians are more interested in the spring we're just like the intake of Obamacare ... sometime next year ... that's right it's a it's a very emphatic message also I would think along with the Supreme Court will get back to the Supreme Court case in a minute but the ... but sang ... a total one basically are almost to the one that the robot that the individual mandate of this ... this ... requirement that ... individuals purchase insurance on never before is the government told people they have to buy a product ... of the ... is a repudiation that means a lot politically I would think for the president next year at least it's a warning ... yes let's keep in mind that two things that make this triggered a strong one is ... that this passage in every county in Ohio ... including Cuyahoga County which is where Cleveland is a Democratic stronghold while a government ... of the vote their ... second ... this isn't a new collection because there was another measure on the ballot whole initiative to this was a referendum on the art collective bargaining reforms that I've ... that Governor John Kasei Bush earlier in the year ... the unions turned out cute show her voters ... that one of the failed in other words the union's one that both ... of which is bad news for all taxpayers a lot of ... liberals Democrats are saying it would use that ... but they were met with more than sixty percent of the fact that the electorate ... the electorate turned out to ... to ... hold a ... union privileges for government workers ... also voted so overwhelmingly against Obamacare really tells you something about just how unpopular Obamacare an individual mandate they are ... well he really does you're basically saying this was what most people would call a IIa a left of center electorate at least on the big question related to union ... the Howard government employee unions and even even the electorate the going gets Obamacare Sobel willingly it it's really been stunning now up ... as far as the Supreme Court Cozaar they are now looking at this at the constitutionality of this lot we should get a decision I would guess early next summer ... um ... the extent that there are affected by political messages like this but certainly they they have to feel comfortable that the environment is is battery of welcoming for them to knock this thing down when you think ... the court is not actually granted but they sure sure they haven't officially greeted J P O ... but several bills are pending they will almost certainly take one because this is case such major importance ... or is it the constitutional issue and there are splits in dummy pills parents ... I'm so yes we'll probably never been ... my view is that ... that that message that the Ohio workers spent four years guess if you're worried about ... the political winds they are employing it against Obamacare and looking very hard ... to know that or I change a lot of constitutional law at the new deal under political pressure ... to a holding site so Security and various ... I got economic regulations they ... really extended the reach of the of the Congress of the Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce which has the power that be ... the car is going to be ... exercising in night in ... Obamacare ... this may be an opportunity to ... hear that the little that they don't ... make any new law on ... to say you know we're not going were not going so far to Congress the authority to force the device ... and ... you would be helpful ... for the just is a lot of wins whatever correction ... and if they want to say that the Commerce clause does not give the federal government the authority ... to force people to buy a product ... the question is if they knock out the individual mandate does the whole although with it ... the administration seems to agree with many of the planned apps that the whole lot is ... not ... inseparable from from that individual mandate but the ... purse the judges will be bound by this but ... the point is ... that ... people can people expect that the whole lot will go up or down or is it possible that will just knock out the individual mandate leave the rest the place ... my guess is that they will not yet ready I've ... that if a striking down which is far from assured bank but if they do ... they will find the individual mandate inseparable and rested on to the rest will often stand which means Congress ousted ... go back and make sense of it ... the ... yes the government is arguing now that I've that it's not acceptable that the whole lot ... either stand or fall ... the states that are so into making the same argument ... only wanted ... the trial ... was told that are given the appeals court said it will set it seemed inseparable for the law ... is constitutional ... the upside ... most likely I think you will learn that the court is not under any obligation to ... accept that position a legal position ... simply because both parties agree to it it's like a stipulation of fact ... OVL of Clinches is in full the Supreme Court were closely ... there's been this question of whether a Justice Katyn who ... use to work for the president ... did that was the of what s calculable Eva ... whether she should break ins urself if Obamacare comes before the court based on ... traditional practice in the judiciary should she be hearing a case like this or not ... well it sounds to me as though she was pretty careful ... to avoid ... getting involved with ... you know getting directly involved with legal advice on Obamacare and since she joined the horror of war and any lawsuits I've ... got to our ... solicitor General is targeting its BEI government's case ... the Supreme Court solicitor General of service and counseling ... yes rights issue yet I would not have been in all directly ... in the appeal ... probably she will not end up with his ears so probably it won't matter because there are three votes ... for votes including hers that are sure things against Obamacare and it's really going to ... start ... based on Obamacare ... it's going to come down to ... I've probably Justice Kennedy ... and I'm not sure that any of the other events ... against Obamacare completely sure things other than Justice Thomas ... who had side ... stepped forward area ... he said